Living Nurse

Where you live matters .....

Where You Live Matters for Health Career Salaries

As a Registered Nurse, when someone asks me if they should pursue career in medicine or if they should become a RN specifically, I can only recommend it since the profession has treated me so well. But if you take that aspect out of the equation, being a medical professional is not an easy thing to do and there are many moments when I considered giving it up and doing something else. But then again, I didn’t. Why exactly?

Well, even though it is hard it is one of the most rewarding professions one can have because you get to help people directly. They come to you with their problems, they are often in pain and they look to you for assistance. Not only is it a privilege, but it is also a great responsibility. Every time I meet or hear about a young person deciding on a career in medicine it just makes me a little bit happier. But, with the way the economy was in recent years I was worried that it would be tough out there for future medical professionals.

Fortunately I don’t have clue about these things and my fears were unjustified. Yes, the economy crisis was pretty hard on the States, but it is pretty clear that the medical profession continues to grow at higher than average rates - both employment numbers and salaries.

According to this nursing information website it is clear that medical professionals of all profiles have the highest chance of employment of any profession out there, and the trend doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon. In fact, by 2020, at least, there will be an increased demand for medical staff in all states - by up to 30%!

But, improved employment prospects is only one part of the picture - what about salaries? If you have read the website’s content carefully, you might notice one thing - there is a staggering difference in salaries for medical staff from state to state. Seeing as a medical assistant is a low-paying position, choice of location is of vital importance. Normally, you would want to get as much money out of it as you can.

Why would you choose to go somewhere where the same job pays a lot less? The choice of location in this case is something that plays a significant role and you should take a look at the salary data.

There is one additional benefit of working as a medical assistant. It may not pay much but, you will get a chance to educate yourself and advance through proper training, which is not something always available with other careers. There are excellent opportunities for career development. If you work hard enough and study, you can go on to become a registered nurse for example, which pays quite a bit more. There are various levels you can get to once you’re a registered nurse. For example, some people that have started out as medical assistants have gone on to become nurse practitioners, which is the second best thing next to being an actual doctor.

Whichever type of medical career you look at, from chiropractors to medical assistants, one thing is clear - location matters. Salaries tend to vary quite a bit based on the state you choose to practice in. Much of this is down to cost of living factors but also due to supply and demand - some states have a real shortage of trained staff. This is good news for anyone entering a medical profession. At the moment, I would not hesitate to recommend a career in the medical professions to anyone - as they say, the future is bright!